Russia Decoded

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  March 22, 2026: Is a Digital Iron Curtain Falling on Russia?

  March 22, 2026: Is a Digital Iron Curtain Falling on Russia? With the war in Iran now in its fourth week, Russian state media continues to showcase the conflict as the latest act of Western “lawlessness.” The heavy focus on the Middle East now serves as a convenient screen for the “special military operation” in

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  March 15, 2026: A Tale of Two Military Operations

  March 15, 2026: A Tale of Two Military Operations The Kremlin has used the unfolding war in Iran to frame the United States as a reckless “wild elephant” sowing global chaos. Highlighting the destruction of U.S. bases and the “crusading” religious fervor of U.S. military leaders, Russian state media openly contrasts Donald Trump’s “Middle Eastern

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  March 8, 2026: Is the Iran War an Asset or Liability for Putin?

  March 8, 2026: Is the Iran War an Asset or Liability for Putin? As U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran enter their second week, the Kremlin faces a complex calculus of costs and benefits. On one hand, the conflict has triggered a surge in global oil prices and effectively diverted critical Western weapon systems away from the

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  March 1, 2026: Watching Iran from Moscow

  March 1, 2026: Watching Iran from Moscow As the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran commenced this weekend, Russian state media took a surprisingly muted tone, avoiding condemnation of President Donald Trump despite characterizing the strikes as a “treacherous attack” on an erstwhile ally. Vladimir Putin, seemingly taken by surprise, has conspicuously withheld any formal opposition, signaling

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  February 22, 2026: Is Putin Looking for an Exit?

  February 22, 2026: Is Putin Looking for an Exit? The third round of trilateral peace negotiations in Geneva ended abruptly, with Moscow’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky appearing visibly defeated after sessions described as “very difficult”: a diplomatic euphemism for near-breakdown. Despite these outward signs of failure, state media depicts Vladimir Putin as a leader genuinely

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